Friday, 27 June 2014

Normally being in a tent is quite uncomfortable at festivals. By the time the alcohol is wearing off, you'll find yourself waking up in total agony. So after doing the bare necessities to give yourself a decent enough appearance you drag yourself to the festival site to see the first band. Since this isn't the case over here, we're way too comfortably waking up, having breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice. I really love it, but the downside is we are missing out on the first few bands.

Heavy Times
"Chicago's most hated band" had the same trouble getting up as us, or so it seems. Their show is very messy and not tight at all. It's the second show of their drum player the singer tells us, so maybe that's why their garage rock songs are not coming together today. It may also explain their set is cut 15 minutes short.

Elephant Stone
I expect a lot more from Elephant Stone who impressed me last year with a wonderful record and a nice performance in the woods at the Into The Great Wide Open Festival. They don't disappoint at all. The band sounds more full and even more convincing than last time. It doesn't take long for their music to slowly lift me up and embrace me. The sitar of course is still a big add-on to the show and its amazing sound is incredible. The Horrors' keyboard player Tom Cowan is making a guest appearance at the end of the set, but that doesn't really add anything to an already convincing performance.

The Horrors
Although the sun is shining at its brightest today, it's time to go into the dark. The Horrors released a new album this year, that didn't quite live up to the expectations. Fortunately their live performance does. Even better, the band has grown a lot since I've seen them. The songs on the new album make a bigger impact on stage than they do on the album, where they were kind of wearing off too quickly. The band sounds great and tight, while singer Faris Badwan is drawing attention with his stage appearance. slightly leaning forward most of the time. If only they could transfer this onto a record.

The Notwist
German band The Notwist have been around for quite a while but never made it really big. Their music has transformed into indie pop songs with big arrangements. Today the band is showing to be capable of putting down a convincing performance. The song structures and sound are very creative and the band is very focused. This is no middle-of-the road indie band, but a very skilled team. It seems to go down very well with the crowd, although their performance is a bit static. But the way they handle their instruments and how they produce these smart compositions is stunning.

Belle & Sebastian
At the beginning of the evening Belle & Sebastian have the perfect setting for a nice show in the sun, while everyone is feeling absolutely delighted. They also have the perfect songs for it, nothing too heavy on the heart. However somehow it doesn't really work for me. I don't really see the fire in their performance, although singer Stuart Murdoch is doing his best. It also doesn't draw a lot of response from the crowd, who are apparently dozing off in the sun. It's time we fire things up a bit.

Deap Vally
You can leave it to the two ladies of Deap Vally to rough things up with their sharp rock songs. Screaming guitars and vocals and heavy grooving drums in the style of the old rock legends. Together with their sexy appearance it causes testosterone levels to go up as well as the temperature. And it gives the security guy another hard time.

Fat White Family
To rough things up more, Fat White Family are totally living up to their live reputations. The boys have already taken their shirts off and treat us to a high energy and aggressive show. Their garage rock is like a smack in the face and the band is giving it all on stage. Singer Lias Saoudi is screaming at the top of his lungs, while the rest of the band are working their way through a set of mean and gritty rock funk songs. And the crowd loves every minute of it.

Elbow
Things slow down a bit when Elbow is starting their performance, already the last one of the weekend, closing down this magical festival in style. Backed up by his steady band, Guy Garvey is the charming gentleman he always is. His beautiful voice alone is already enough to please, but together with the band, a string and horn section and an impressive set of screens, Elbow take their show to the next level. It doesn't really matter that their last album is a bit of a let down, today everything sounds spot on. And they couldn't have been more right, closing the night with 'One Day Like This' singing "one day like this a year would see me right". Or three days like this would be even better.

The festival closes down shortly after, which leaves us with a few cups that cost us a deposit and no way to get that back. Also it leaves us with some money on the chip on our wristband. Something for the organization to take into account next year and only a minor setback in an otherwise glorious weekend. We'll definitely be back then to enjoy a great festival and a comfortable jungalow.